St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-10-29

when you was little child. An, seems tC
me, you air my little child yet, although
l know your heart is gin to another
you air my little child, for you're the only
love I've had since your mother died-the
older Esther. You don't remember, for you
was little thing when she died, but you're
like her. child-you've got her pretty face
an her fine curls an her gentle heart-God
bless We, dear ~
Esther sobbed and pressed his hand.
Don't cry" SAID Reuben, sobbingly.
Don't you remember how it alters used to
kill me when you cried? l want YOU to tell
me-itll kind of make me feel cheerful an
happy like-I want you to tell me that
never caused you one sorrow; that in spite
of my ignorance an rough ways, l made a
good father to you. never scolded you, did
l? An didn't alters love you an tell you
pretty stories, leastwise the best l knew how
An didn't send you away to school, SOS to
make lady of your
What did Esther answer? What could
she answer? Womanlike, she said nothing;
womanlike, she bent over and kissed Reu-
ben's lips.
''If could only ha' died them" he con-
tinued; eff I could only ha' died when you
was a little gal, you'd always have thought
of me as you knowed me then, for little
child afore it's had fetch of the world, sees
only an feels only the hearts o'folks. IfTd
ave died then, my little gal would never ave
knowed how ignorant her father was; she'd
ave remembered only the stories he told 'er
the songs he sung, an the pretty shells he
fetched her from the sea-"
''Oh father p cried Esther. 81 have al
ways revered and loved you-do not tear my
heart so cruellyn
Hug close to me- darlin, and let me
stroke your curls," said Reuben, softly. "No
one but you must hear, for I want you to
know why I went away; then you'll think
kindly of me, alters, Esther. l done you
wrong, perhaps, but I thought you might
git ashamed of me-that was why l went
away. l didn't want to have you eddycated,
cause thought that etldycashun was a-goin'
to kind O wean you from me, an my heart
was, oh so hungry arter your love! When
you went away, was lonesome an every
thing was changed like. There was no one
to love then, nothin' but the Of boat, no one
to tell stories to, no little one to come runnn'
down the sand to meet me, no curls to stroke.
But they said it was my duty and so l tried
to stan it. You came back; you was get
tin to be lady; you was gettin to be
more n a fishermans daughter-leastwise |
thought So an Caleb said it. Says he to me
one day: Reuben, you're a eddycatin' that
gal away from you-look out, old man, or
your child'll drift away Allus after that
ghost KEEP follerin' me round, and the ghost
KEEP allus whsperin, She's driftin' away,
she's driftin' away You was allus gentle
an lovin' Esse (mind We, I'm not COM
plainin'-Tm only tellin' you how foolish |
was), but allus that ghost KEEP follerin' me
round and allus the ghost KEEP whlsperin
She's driftin' away, she's driftin' awayn"
"Oh, father" groaned Esther, in an agony
of filial love and sorrow.
can when you told me of your sweet
heart" said Reuben, Il was struck with q
terror wuss' n all that came afore. thought
you had sot your love on hih:, nd that
when he learnt what ignoran- man your
father was-why, l thought he'd cast you
off an break your gentle heart.
"Then suddint like" he continued, this
thought come to me: Spare your darlins
heart even though it breaks your own I
was an Of man, with only few years to
live, at least what was to bender my gon'
away and bein' dead so long as my child
with love in herinnocent heart) was happy?
The ghost kept follerin' me still, and what
he said now was: Go away, go away, oil
Reuben, and spare your darlin's hearth
$50 [ went away-not leavin' you in want,
as the little reck'nin in the bank showed
you-but I went away breakin' my heart for
yourn."
Esther said never word; the old man
liked it better so, for his heart had borne this
burthen too long.
'Then," he went on to say, 81 told that
lie about my bein' dead; the mate helped me
with it, for he knowed an pitied me. 1t was
q lie, Esther, but it was white lie, an God
knows what it cost me. There hain't been
an hour sence l left the OF home on the
beach but what thought of it and you-of
you, my little gal, allus first. No matter
where I sailed or drifted, saw. allus that |
home on the beach and in the doorway list |
under the honeysuckle-you remember !
stood my darlin', shadin' her eyes with her |
hands an lookin' out on the sea, like she |
was lookin' for me to come. And with the |
worritin' an frettin' like. I broke down.
seems like was clean tuckered out, sud- |
Unity, an so-and so l came here"
The old man talked thus till from sheer |
fatigue he could say no more. He told her of |
his wandering, of his want
If his heartache, of all how one day he
lad read in Boston paper of her wedding,
md how then at last the thought that she
vas happy consoled him in his loneliness.
1t was a time of sweetness-this COM
nunion Of the old man with his child And
when he was a-weary, Reuben said: ''Sit
Town beside me, darlin', and let my hand
est kind O lovin' like on your head let me
% to sleepso an dream"
How quiet the chamber was IA strange
,eace brooded therein. Esther sat close be-
ide her father and his hand rested upon her
air head. She could hear the sea splashing
m the beach, and through the soft twilight
anne the sound of creaking sails and of
mems voices. What wonder that she thought
herself little girl again, back in the Old
ears and in the old home; and she seemed
o stand with old Reuben in the doorway
nder the honeysuckle; old Reuben's honest
ace looked down smilingly upon her, and
lis voice was full of the heartiness of love as
re told his darling his quaint stories of the
ca.
And Reuben-how calm he slept! Every
estlge OF sorrow had vanished from his
hin, wan face. The old man must have
zen dreaming of those old days, too; but he
ay motionless as the waters of becalmed
ca, and his hand rested heavily on Esthers
cad.
Father" she murmured, TREMENDOUSLY as
be came back from her dream but the old